The BIG Greasy

NOLA

Maple Leaf

Hi-Ho Lounge

We had to do a COMPLETE cleaning of the bus upon leaving the Echo Fest. 3 days of festing & partying infested the spam boat with a fair amount of funk. I believe the origins of the disease we are experiencing now began in Atlanta. The incessant humidity, lack of bleach with which to regularly clean the dishes, and too many chickens in the coop all contributed to the demise of any sense of sanitary condition we had on the bus.

Many hands make light work, as they say, and we cleaned the bus up right in no time, and were on our way to NEW ORLEANS!!!! YAY!

I guess we went through North Carolina, Alabama & Mississippi to get there, but we sure did not do a whole lot of stopping, so I can’t say I learned very much about any of those states. Maybe next time. We arrived in the BIG GREASY in the night & the first thing that hits you is how heavy the air is there. The second thing that hits you is how completely deserted that city is. I don’t know what the actual figures are, but it felt like half the people had left that place & have not come back. When we arrived at Jay’s place (where we were supposed to stay) on the edge of the 9^th ward, it was so hot & humid & dark & the place was like an Anne Rice novel. Serioulsly, I expected LaStatte to walk out of there and bite me! Really cool to take pictures of & maybe film a movie, but not enough room for 35 of us, and definitely not a place with enough amenities for our weary bodies. Some people popped for hotels that night, the rest of us were glad to camp on the invitation & in the yard of Keith’s in-laws.

Like many other houses, Katrina flooded their beautifully customized house up to the light switches on the first floor, and a loophole in their insurance policy has them footing the bill for the remodel. The downstairs is still very under construction, but it was still a far sight more livable than the alternative housing for the evening. The next morning after a very appreciated scrambled egg breakfast provided by our gracious hosts (thanks Karen's Parents!) we decided that we would do a $20/day buy out for lodging so people could get hotel rooms for the two nights in NO. The last night, we would leave late after our gig, and drive to Baton Rouge to sleep on the way to Houston.

WOOHOO!!!! A bunch of us hopped on the "band wagon" (get it!) and got rooms at a very nice hotel right on the edge of the French quarter. The rooms were only $50/night, so if you had a roomate, it was only $10/night. SUCH A DEAL! I haven't slept in such a comfortable bed in I don't know how long. We had the day off to wander, and the only other thing that was happening was the ReBirth Brass Band was playing that night at the Maple Leaf (where we were playing the next night). It wasn't a mandatory attendance thing, but it was a good idea for us to show up so we could promote for our show.

After we checked in, we met outside to go exploring & also I had to find a bank to deposit all the moolah we made in Atlanta & D.C. so I could pay everyone out. However, I came to learn that after the Hurricane, B of A (the bank that we are using on the road) closed all of thier branches in Louisiana!!! AGHGHGH. I had a serious liquidity issue, but we figured it out with a little transfering back home...THANKS SWIRLING! Andy, my partner in crime on the financial team took care of it. SOOO we went and found our first of many bowls of gumbo we'd have in this fair city. Afterwards, T & I were pretty beat from the 3 day festing, so we went back to the hotel, holed up & ordered dinner in...we didn't even leave until lunch the next day!!!!!!!!!!! AHAHAHAHHHHHH. So nice to rest, eat good food & be clean. These are the things we cherish on the road. I think it may have saved my life. We didn't have to be at the venue until 8 or so the next evening, so we spent the day sight seeing & doing the tourist thing in the French Quarter. This is the place I spent the most money on tour so far. What great shopping! So many great little boutiques & trinket & voodoo shops! I felt really good about spending money there, it feels like they need it!

Our gig at the Maple Leaf was HOT! HOT in the way that you sweat like you are running a marathon in a wetsuit. Because that's what all that humidity does to your skin. IT acts like a wet suit. We had a great turn out, considering the maple leaf is pretty far from downtown and a lot of people that came that night also came to our show the next night at the Hi-Ho in the 9th ward. We took taxi's back to our repective places of rest, getting in around 2am. Next morning we had to check out of our hotels, so I called our driver, Kevin, to rally the troops & come get us! Seems most of the gypsies that were staying over @ Jay's stayed out a little later than we did, so they were about an hour past thier Noon estimated arrival time. But, that gave us a bit to run & grab something to eat while we waited. When the bus arrived, we loaded up our gear & headed back over to Jays. A lot of us had not done laundry for quite sometime, and, well, let's just say it was time. Keith drove us over to a place in the French Quarter called Check Point Charlies' which has the essential distinction of being a bar, laundromat, pool hall & restaurant. PERFECT! We did laundry, had cocktails, played pool, made friends with the infamous Dr. Love & Bucket Man & had a really swell day. We then had the privelege to be chauffered around what is left of the 9th Ward by NO's own Keith Vidos. UNBELIEVABLE WASTE. SO sad. SO many homes in exactly the same condition as when the Hurricane initially destroyed them. It really hit as we were driving around & you could still see the spray paint on the houses saying things like "DOA", "Dead Dog under Porch", and the # of Dead, injured, etc, immortalized for all to remember, to recognize. Quite an eye opener. I'm really glad I had a chance to go see that. Just confirms my suspicions about this goverment & thier non-caring, money grubbing, war mongering agenda. ....I digress... After that side journey, fresh clothes & all, we headed back over to Jay's to get ready for our march to the venue. Top Shelf, leDousche & a few others had a chance to get on the radio that day & they promoted the march & the show, so we had a big crowd for the march through the streets of New Orleans. There was a little fear the cops would show up & confiscate our instruments, because we didn't have a permit, but they either didn't care, or had enough on their hands to bother with us. When we arrived at the Hi-Ho, we were supposed to go right on & play our set, but it seems the other two opening actshad a miscommunication error & did the march WITH us. SO, they hadn't even started when we arrived @ the venue. DANG! We had to wait, and so did the sizable crowd that had gathered to see us, for at least an hour while the two other bands played. One of them was from Brooklyn & we had played with them before at the Rubulad in Brooklyn, so it was cool to see them again. When we finally took the stage in the smaller than small space, we had the whole place packed to the gills, and I know we have had a lot of hot & sweaty gigs, but, my friends, this one takes the CAKE! All of it! HOly Flirking Sweat BatMAN! THe crowd just wanted more & more, so we gave it to them, and when we ended in a frezied fast fest on the floor, I thought I would just puddle away and join the rest of the vapors that makes New Orleans the heaviest city on the planet. THe Juice walked outside to catch a breather right after me and WRUNG his shirt out like he had dipped it in a bucket of water. GROSS? Not really. Actually all that sweating had a very cleansing effect & I think I adjusted my back during the set. It's like when you sit in a sauna for a really long time & all your muscles & tendons get all looosseee... feels great. Everyone was ecstatic. WHat a great way to end our shows in the BIG GREASY...RAZZLE DAZZLE Everyone!